Soldiers outside Neveh Tzuf (file)
Soldiers outside Neveh Tzuf (file)Israel news photo: Flash 90

The Shabak and IDF, it was revealed Monday, have arrested members of a terror gang who were involved in a shooting attack near the Binyamin community of Neve Tzuf in December 2012. The arrests were made several weeks ago, and a news blackout about the arrests was lifted Monday.

The incident occurred in mid-December. Terrorists fired about 30 shots at a vehicle driving next to the town. Nearly caught up in the crossfire was a resident of the town who was waiting for a ride on the main road. Miraculously he was uninjured.

The terrorists were members of Fatah, the organization that controls the Palestinian Authority in Judea and Samaria, headed by PA chief Mahmoud Abbas.

There has been an increase recently in attempts by Arab terrorists to carry out attacks against Israelis, security experts said. On Sunday, it was released for publication that the Shabak and Border Police had prevented an Islamic Jihad terror unit from kidnapping an IDF soldier or civilian. The incident occurred on January 1, when terrorists sought to kidnap an Israeli near the Eyal checkpoint in western Samaria. The Shabak and Border Guards caught the terror gang as it was preparing to capture an Israeli.

A Shabak official said that the terrorists had planned to take the Israeli to Jenin, where he would be kept hostage while the terrorists negotiated a mass release of terrorists in Israeli prisons in exchange for the Israeli.